With Congress staring down a budget fight next month, Rep. George Santos is preparing to enter the fray.

The embattled congressman, who faces a 13-count federal indictment, is sounding the alarm about possible reductions to water infrastructure funding pushed by fellow Republicans eager to slash spending.

He says the cuts could be catastrophic to his Long Island district, and is suggesting diverting money from the IRS and using unspent COVID-19 funds to make up the difference if need be.

“No, absolutely not will I ever vote to cut water infrastructure. It's immoral. And I, quite frankly, think it's a big mistake,” Santos told NY1 in an interview Monday.

The start of September kicks off Santos' ninth month in Congress — a tenure that so far has been marred by legal woes and a House Committee on Ethics investigation of his finances.

Back in April, when he announced his re-election bid, he told NY1 to “judge me by the work that I do in this body.”

Asked Monday what he has accomplished so far, Santos said he is being the “best advocate I can.”

“At the end of the day, I'm one of 435. But I think if you look at the work that I’ve presented, it’s been very district-forward,” Santos said.

Santos notes his vote against the reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration, arguing the bill did not sufficiently address airline noise and pollution issues important to his district.

Santos has introduced dozens of his own bills, but almost all of them lack co-sponsors. He said he is hopeful, though, that some of his ideas will be incorporated into larger legislation down the road, including his pitch to make alimony payments tax-deductible.

Santos has already defied at least one lawmaker’s prediction about how long he would stick around.

Back in May, Suffolk County Republican Congressman Nick LaLota, an outspoken Santos critic, predicted the congressman would resign or be expelled before August recess. That deadline has come and gone.

“I think we all need to stop with the rhetoric and just let the process play itself out. I have a right to defend myself and I’m doing that. I think it's irresponsible for anybody, whether Republican or Democrat or any colleague of mine, to try to influence the outcome of an investigation,” Santos said.

Asked if he will resign if the House Committee on Ethics finds that he has done something wrong, Santos said, “I want their recommendation. So let's see what their recommendation is.”

With the 2024 election still over a year away, Republican and Democratic candidates alike are already lining up en masse in New York’s 3rd Congressional District to try to oust Santos.

Among the recent entrants is lawyer Greg Hach, who calls Santos a “conman” and “crook” who “can’t be trusted.”

On the sizable electoral field, Santos was defiant.

“The more the merrier. It's everybody's civic right. And I think I encourage it,” Santos said.

Just last week, a former Santos campaign fundraiser named Samuel Miele was indicted in New York on federal charges, including wire fraud and aggravated identity theft.

“Was there, you know, regret? Sure,” Santos said of bringing Miele onboard in the first place. “But regret that we couldn't even foresee this happening. Everybody working remote in these instances, so you have very little control of what goes on.”

On Thursday, former President Donald Trump is poised to be arrested for the fourth time in just a matter of months, this time in Atlanta on a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act count and other charges tied to the 2020 election.

Asked whether Trump’s legal woes could prove a distraction as he mounts another bid for the White House, Santos invoked his own experience, saying it should not be.

“That's why you have a legal team. That's their job. That's their issue,” Santos said.

Santos is facing 13 federal counts of his own, including wire fraud and money laundering.